My Last Breath: Lingering Flame
by DamionCross
Summary: You've heard that there's two sides to every story. This is the story of two people who'd give their last breath to be with each other, told from a different point of view. RogueXOC.


Author's Note: This story is from my character, Damion Cross', point of view. It will coincide with the chapters from My Last Breath, written by Yunie Leonheart.

_**Disclaimer:**_ The characters presented in this story, other than any original characters created by the author, are owned and are copyrighted by Marvel Comics, Inc. and Disney, Inc. I'm writing this solely for entertainment, and to be creative.

**My Last Breath: Lingering Flame**

Damion Cross, the man the X-Men and the Avengers call Firebrand, was sitting in the kitchen of the farmhouse, now owned by his wife, Anna Marie. He looked at the ring finger of his left hand, still amazed that he still has a wife after what happened at the reception. On the counter across from him, a coffee maker was brewing up a third pot of the beverage he was sucking down, the sugar and coffee creamer sitting next to him on the island countertop. For the most part, Jean Grey and Heather Cameron gave him a clean bill of health, aside from a mildly bruised noggin. But he still can't get over the events that almost cost him wife and their unborn child.

_Damion extended his hand to Marie, who smiled gently to him as he lead her out to the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. Just as the music started there were startled screams of terror and crashing from the direction of the entrance of the reception hall. Marie's eyes widened with a bit of fear as her foster father's most vicious rival appeared in the midst of the chaos. Damion, being the hero he is, stepped in between the oncoming threat and his newlywed wife, but was charged by the massive mutant called Sabertooth and was batted away like a fly. As he flew into the wall closest to them, Damion heard the shocked gasp of Marie, who tried to rush to his side, to no avail. He could vaguely see Victor Creed, Sabertooth, lifting his wife off the ground, his claws digging into the back and sides of her neck._

"_I heard the runt's precious little girl was getting married and I just couldn't resist." Sabertooth growled a cruel smile on his face. "You are gonna scream for me, little one." He added, running a claw down her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. Rogue stiffened, knowing that Creed's senses were just as sharp as Logan's and Logan hadn't needed to smell her blood to know that she was pregnant. Creed's smile grew even wider and crueler, if that was even possible. He growled triumphantly, "This is better than I could have ever expected. Not only do I get to kill the runt's precious cub, but I also get to kill her little whelp at the same time. Two for one." Damion had pulled himself up and stared at what had to be a scene from his worst nightmare. His wife and his unborn baby in danger and he couldn't make a move to save them. As he stood up, his hands burst into flame, the intensity of the heat going from orange to stark white. He saw Rogue had her hand pressed to her stomach, a move he recognized as an unconscious instinct to protect the precious little life she carried. "Aww," Creed cooed, turning Marie so she could see the emotions running through her partner, "Looks like we know who the proud papa is." He flung Marie's hand away and replacing it with his own, the claws ripping through the delicate fabric of her wedding dress. Marie started to struggle and Creed shook her again, till she gave a cry of pain. Damion's flames flared at the sound, his anger growing like the height of the flames. The other heroes who hadn't worked to get the normal people out of harms way were bristling to take down the beast, which had ruined this happy occasion, but they couldn't risk him killing Marie. Creed chuckled, "Well I'll just have to make sure that even if they manage to save you after I'm done with you, that this baby is the last one you will ever have." Tears started to gather in Marie's eyes, though she fought them down, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Raven, the mutant known as Mystique, and Marie's foster mother, threw off her disguise and threw herself at her former lover and used all of her fighting skill to try to get him to let the girl she helped raise go. The huge brute threw Raven off and she hit her head on the wall hard, falling to the ground like a broken rag doll. Then he returned his attention back to his tormenting of Rogue and through her, Logan. "Now little one you owe me that scream." Marie glared at Creed, clenching her teeth. Creed lost his temper with her defiance. He shook her, hard, "Scream, damn you!" He yelled. _

_Marie gave him a defiant smile and spat in his face, "Go to hell, you bastard." She ground out, giving Logan and Colossus the chance to work up their famous fastball special. Logan hit Creed with the force of a cannonball, causing Creed to lose his grip on Rogue and knocked her clear. Damion watched as Blink and Kurt ported in grabbing both Marie and Raven. Damion saw that Kurt was exhausted, and motioned to his brother-in-law to rest as much as possible, even though it was futile. Nightcrawler, as the blue mutant was better known, was selfless in the defense of others._

"_We need to take him down, fast!" Damion shouted, the members of the security team that were inside the hall helping keep the rampaging mutant from tearing up too many other innocent civilians. "Logan, Poitir, keep him busy," he said, knowing that those two had more than a few tricks up their sleeves. But as the fight dragged on, and more and more people got sent flying, he shouted to Logan, "We need Jean, pops, and fast!"_

_As if on cue, Jean Grey strode in, looking at Creed with malicious intent. The larger mutant threw tables and other furniture at her, only to have it batted away by her telekinetic abilities. "What are you trying to prove, red head?" Creed snarled, Jean practically floating in front of his face._

"_That you're just like Charles' step-brother, Cain. Susceptible to telepathic assault," the self-declared doctor of the X-Men at the mansion said, touching the sides of Sabertooth's face, and causing the large mutant to crumble on the spot, writhing and moaning in a repeating nightmare, one only Jean herself can remove him from._

_Logan, after the battle, pulled out a cigar and a cell phone, and said to the young leader, "Ya might want to check up on your wife, Cross. I'll get clean-up started here. I just need to call in a favor." Damion nodded, heading out to where the wounded and injured were being taken care of._

_Heather waved Damion over to where she and Blink were waiting. "Kurt took Marie home. We thought she'd be more comfortable there and he was exhausted. It was the best way we could think of to get him to rest. You know how he is about his sister." Heather said. _

"_Yeah, I know all about it," Damion said with a rueful smile, giving Heather a kind hug._

"_Blink and I'll take you home, patch you up and then head back here to help." Heather said, her cheerful professionalism shining through. Damion gave the girls a grateful smile, thankful for their kindness. Blink ported them to their cozy little farmhouse, well, in a blink. Heather then treated the injuries Damion had sustained in the fight. "Well, let's go Blink. See you later, Damion." Heather said, leaving the home. Damion walked upstairs, stopping to check in on Kurt, who happened to be snoring away in his room away from the Xavier Institute. He then quietly walked into his and Marie's room, closing the door gently behind him. She was tucked into bed; probably Kurt's doing, the white bandages standing out starkly against her skin a glaring reminder of what happened. He pulled over her favorite chair and took her left hand in his, running his thumb over the back of her hand occasionally brushing her wedding ring. After what seemed to be hours, Marie's eyes fluttered, and she sat up with a gasp and a shout of "Damion!" She began to struggle to get free of the covers._

_Damion put his hand on Marie's shoulder, and said, "Yes, __muirnín?" He kissed her on the cheek, trying to calm her back down. Only after singing a few verses of his favorite song in Gaelic did Marie have a chance to fall back asleep. Once she was settled again, Damion left her side, slowly walking down to the kitchen._

Damion finished his third cup of coffee, getting ready to grab a fourth, hearing the sounds of light footfalls coming from the stairs. He knew it was his wife coming down to get a drink, so he prepared the tea kettle for her herbal tea, one of Jean's orders to keep the baby inside of Marie safe. He also knew that she's having the same trouble sleeping, having both suffered tonight. He's almost ready to head into the garage and tinker with some of the cars that they're trying to put together, and also to train up a bit for the race he's supposed to be in at the end of the month.

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note:** So, there you have it. My first foray into fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy it, and I'll see y'all in the coming months.

~DamionCross


End file.
